1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to mechanical reed musical instruments and more particularly to a device for supporting a reed relative to the mouthpiece of the instrument.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In a typical reed musical instrument, energy in the form of an air stream is converted to acoustical energy by virtue of the air stream being throttle by an air actuated vibrating reed. In the design of these type instruments, it has long been recognized that the effects of vibrating reeds are important in tone production. The manner in which the reed is clamped relative to the mouthpiece significantly modifies the reed behaviour. It is known that if the reed is allowed to vibrate more freely, then a fuller, darker, richer and mellower sound is produced and the extreme upper and lower registers of woodwind instruments are easier to play in. In this context, the construction and arrangement of these devices for securing the reed relative to the mouthpiece of the instrument, known as ligatures, is extremely important since it is an integral part of the vibrating system. Representative patents in the general area of this invention are U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,060,946 (clarinet); 2,837,003 (mouthpiece and ligature for reed instruments); 3,618,440 (ligature for single reed woodwind musical instrument); 4,056,997 (reed holding device for musical instruments); 4,185,535 (reed holding device); and 4,275,636 (ties for the mouthpiece of a wind instrument).
While the various devices as discussed above, or variations of them, have been used extensively for attaching a vibrating reed to the mouthpiece of a musical instrument, they each have serious drawbacks as represented by the advancement of the art. Each patent recognizes the need to allow the reed to vibrate more freely. However, none of the foregoing patents disclose the device of the present invention wherein the reed is supported in a special manner within the ligature to allow this freedom of vibration.